arm, stronger even than that she had felt during the
morning, rushed upon her.

She dined, or made a pretence of dining, with her mother at seven. Her
mother's voice went on and on about trifles, and Constance did not try
to pay attention. Her thought was following Henry with ever sharpening
apprehension. She called the office in mid-evening; it would be open,
she knew, for messages regarding Uncle Benny and Alan would be expected
there. A clerk answered; no other news had been received; she then
asked Henry's whereabouts.

"Mr. Spearman went north late this afternoon, Miss Sherrill," the clerk
informed her.

"North? Where?"

"We are to communicate with him this evening to Grand Rapids; after
that, to Petoskey."

Constance could hear her own heart beat. Why had Henry gone, she
wondered; not, certainly, to aid the search. Had he gone to--hinder it?

CHAPTER XIX

THE WATCH UPON THE BEACH

Constance went up to her own rooms; she could hear her mother speaking,
in a room on the same floor, to one of the maids; but for her present
anxiety, her mother offered no help and could not even be consulted.
Nor could any message she might send to her father explain the
situation to him. She was throbbing with determination and action, as
she found her purse and counted the money in it. She never in her life
had gone alone upon an extended journey, much less been alone upon a
train over night. If she spoke of such a thing now, she would be
prevented; no occasion for it would be recognized; she would not be
allowed to go, even if "properly accompanied." She could not,
therefore, risk taking a handbag from the house; so she thrust
nightdress and toilet articles into her muff and the roomy pocket of
her fur coat. She descended to the side door of the house and,
unobserved, let herself out noiselessly on to the carriage drive. She
gained the street and turned westward at the first corner to a street
car which would take her to the railway station.

There was a train to the north every evening; it was not, she knew,
such a train as ran in the resort season, and she was not certain of
the exact time of its departure; but she would be in time for it. The
manner of buying a railway ticket and of engaging a berth were unknown
to her--there had been servants always to do these things--but she
watched others and did as they did. On the train, the berths had been
made up; people were going to bed behind some of th